It’s spooky season in NYC, so let’s make way for some ‘Monster Mash’-ing. Being one of the oldest cities in the country, it’s haunting enough, complete with gothic infrastructure, and legends kept alive and awake in a way that only ‘the city that never sleeps’ ever could. If a dark and foggy, October night perched ominously atop a glowing skyline isn’t eerie enough, here are some bars to hop for spooky sips.
BeetleHouse NYC
308 E 6th St.
beetlehousenyc.com
It’s Halloween year round at this beastly bar that celebrates horror culture and magic, with inspiration from the works of legends like Tim Burton, Edgar Allan Poe, and Washington Irving. With “darkly delicious meals and haunting bubbling cocktails,” as their website states, try creepy cocktails like The Beetle’s Juice with silver tequila, muddled blackberry, cranberry juice, lime juice, and simple syrup.
The Headless Widow
99 1st Ave.
theheadlesswidow.com
The bar’s name certainly has no shortage of creepiness, and the upscale cocktails have no shortage of class. Try elevated sips like the hellish Diablo’s Margarita (Serrano pepper infused tequila, cilantro, lime juice, and agave); or The Guillotini (gin, raspberry, black pepper, lemon, egg white, and dry vermouth).
There’s also a “gin and tonic program,” with carefully-crafted concoctions like The Widow’s Niece featuring Opihr Gin (England), Indian Tonic, pepper, and lemon.
Oscar Wilde
45 W 27th St.
oscarwildenyc.com
If you’re familiar with famous works like “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” then you know Oscar Wilde had some darkness in his eccentric heart. What more fitting way to celebrate the darkest of all seasons than to celebrate in sophisticated, Victorian style?
The bar serves cocktails like the Thieving Thespian (Yellowstone Bourbon, Creme De Mure, saffron, guava, and lemon); or Halloween-themed selections like The Wednesday Adams (sage-infused Union Mezcal, Ume Plum, lime, grapefruit, agave, and Q Grapefruit soda).
The Dead Poet
450 Amsterdam Ave. #2
thedeadpoet.com
If you didn’t get enough ‘dead writer’-chique from our last entry, this elevated Irish pub that names cocktails after dead poets should be the final nail in the coffin.
Its mahogany walls are lined with black and white portraits, quotes, and poetic passages; it also boast a library of classic literature. Try drinks like the Edgar Allan Poe with Misguided Spirits Vodka, Chateau Monet Raspberry liqueur, sour mix, and lime, shaken with ice and served in a martini glass. It also has an extensive Irish whiskey list, for the tortured poet in us all.
House of Wax
(Located in The Alamo Drafthouse):445 Albee Square W #4410
instagram.com/houseofwaxbar
Madame Tussauds’ may have Time Square, but House of Wax has downtown Brooklyn. Okay, so maybe their collection isn’t as large, but this unsettlingly quaint, dimly-lit bar is certainly adorned with a slew of wax figures and other macabre decor.
Try cocktails like the Chestburster (based on the iconic scene from Alien) with white rum, triple sec, midori, blood orange syrup, and lime.
